At 1:30 am Kiev time Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko accepted Igor Kolomoisky’s resignation as governor of the Dnipropetrovsk Region. It is unlikely to have been a willing resignation, and dismissing Kolomoisky is a decision Poroshenko may soon live to regret.

As Russia’s government tightens its belt in the aftermath of the oil price collapse, the country’s pension system has become the site of a heated political battle. So long as oil prices stay low and sanctions continue to bite, money will be tight.

For 11 days Russian President Vladimir Putin was gone without a trace. Meetings between Putin and officials were shown by Russian media only for it to emerge that those meetings had taken place the week before.